"The BJP has grown their vote share in West Bengal consistently and one of the reasons why this has happened is the politics of polarisation and communalisation," says veteran journalist R Sundaram.

Taking cognizance of the violence that erupted in Kolkata city of West Bengal on Tuesday during a roadshow helmed by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) party president Amit Shah, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has for the first time since its inception, invoked Article 324. According to the article, campaigning in the state has been cut short by 24 hours ahead of the final phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections on May 19.

Following the incident on Tuesday, tensions are high between cadres of both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on the streets of West Bengal. Statements given by top leaders from both parties have only added to the rising turmoil. In fact, the EC also relieved assistant deputy general (ADG), CID, Rajiv Kumar today and asked to report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday morning.

Sharing his views on the matter, senior journalist Bharat Kumar Raut told Mirror Now that the EC is an autonomous body and it is very difficult for even the Prime Minister to influence the actions of the polling body. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Bannerjee casting the entire blame on the BJP might get her the vote of sympathisers who believe that the violence in Kolkata was a political ploy by the BJP, he adds.

Meanwhile, journalist R Sundaram says, "The BJP has grown their vote share in West Bengal consistently and one of the reasons why this has happened is the politics of polarisation and communalisation." Sundaram adds that this has yielded the party a lot of dividends and they are now trying to polarise as much as possible, turning the state into a war-like dimension.

"Bengal is one state outside south India where BJP, up until now, has had a limited presence. This is the election where they are trying to cut through that," says senior journalist Vivek Kaul, apart from expressing his views about the EC's latest unprecedented action is not likely to make the 2019 Lok Sabha elections free and fair. Times Network consulting editor Vinay Tewari says, "If the EC believes that the situation in West Bengal is not conducive to free and fair elections, the campaigning should've been stopped right away."

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BJP-TMC feud turns West Bengal into 'warlike dimension' ahead of phase VII of 2019 Lok Sabha pollsDescription:"The BJP has grown their vote share in West Bengal consistently and one of the reasons why this has happened is the politics of polarisation and communalisation," says veteran journalist R Sundaram.Times Now